Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Expiration date on canned goods, any "rule of thumb" ??

I remember when my mother used to can(glass jars) stuff the "rule of thumb" when going down in the basement to pick up a jar of canned stuff was to NOT grab something that had a bowed up/convex lid on it. As long as the lid was down/concave it was good to use.

For metal canned goods is there a "rule of thumb" as to how long past a stamped on the bottom date can be exceeded?? Obviously the first step is looking the can over and seeing no sign of swelling or anything obvious from the norm in appearance.

If the ends aren't bulged it's likely ok.

I have some 2004 blue lake green beans in mason jars outta my garden


opened two quarts for New Year's Day dinner



"best by" just means best that's all

I don't think there is a rule of thumb. Obviously it depends on storage conditions, some of which you don't know, between the processor and the market. And it depends on what's in the can. Some foods change flavor pretty quickly and the date matters, some last a loong time past the date. If it's like 6 months past the date, smell and taste with a backup plan in mind.

I was still eating canned goods from early 70's era Australian 24 hour ration packs in the late 90's.
But then, they were not really palatable to begin with.

If its creamed corn it's expired

Most cans are good for a year or so after - acidic contents go bad faster it the can is damaged

This thread has potential....

Talked with a local friend of mine about this. He's into preparedness, MRE's and all kinds of stuff. He said that he's used metal canned food, non-creamed stuff, that was 4-5 years past the expiration/best by date and had no problems.

Anyways a couple of hours ago I consumed a can of stuff that was in his "used past" time frame(4-5 years). Sooo far sooo good.....it was actually quite tasty. If I don't respond back to this thread later on Thursday......well then maybe it wasn't such a good idea!!?? :-)

4-8 years depending on contents. As long as it isn't bulged and nothing looks funky inside, you can eat it forever; the nutrients just degrade over time.

If you're thinking about food storage, dry is better by far, except for meat and soup.

Dry is better. Add hot water and you have soup. Dried meat reconstituted works really well.

Most canned stuff only has expiration dates because the government says they have to have one. It's a meaningless date. If it was canned properly, it'll keep for years past the date.

I read the manufacture of the can determines the longevity of the can itself. they only guarantee il for X amount of years. It's not the product inside of the can. Just what I read :-)

That...

And they even put it on cheese now.....WTF.....

mentioned earlier but the shelf life is actually very long - but the nutritional value degrades

Most canned goods have expiration or best by dates of 1 or 2 years after manufacture. Some, like Hormel's Corned Beef imported from Argentina has a 5 year expiration date.



Expiration dates are good business for manufacturers as they increase sales because most consumers make a point of using, giving away, or throwing away products that are close or past the expiration date.

The tactic works really well with medicines as people dispose of expensive prescription medications they've had for only a year. Turns out that "tests of Defense Department drug stockpiles showed many medicines are fine as much as 10 years after the manufacturers' expiration dates if they're stored unopened and in a cool dry place."

Thanks, JOG, for your input. It helps formulate a practical approach to a situation when similar information is received from a variety of independent sources.

Just in case someone is ever researching the campfire for data on canned goods expiration dates I have this pictorial data showing the date code on what I consumed with no ill effect.





That puts this particular can of soup at 4.5+ years past the "Best By" date on the can bottom.

Good info there on the medicines aspect of the "Best By" date scam. Thanks for sharing!!

And I know some who won't use an item one day past the expiration date. I've used canned goods that were 2 years past and never had any problem, same with aspirin, advil and tylenol.

i'm still taking medicine that expired 4 years ago. no problems.